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Nutrition for Tournaments This week we will be covering how to eat to perform at your peak during tournaments. Some of you will have tournaments coming up over the next few months. If your body is not prepared correctly you run the risk of not performing at your peak. If you eat lots of junk food all the time during a tournament, your body will not be able to find all the nutrients it will require to sustain you during your game and, more importantly, to replenish your energy resources between games. I have been to too many tournaments where the players went to fast food restaurants for breakfast and lunch as well as during the day for snacks. The main problem with this is that the food tends to be too high in fat and sits in your stomach, not breaking up as quickly as your body requires it. The players, as a result, feel weak and tired. Before the Tournament One of the biggest mistakes that players do while away on tournaments is to start eating a completely different range of foods that they are not used to eating. This may be because for ease of convenience or simply because they do not often get the chance to eat these foods at home. The main issue with this is that your body is not used to eating this food and often does not react well with sudden changes in diet. It is recommended that for several weeks before the tournament, if possible, that you start to eat the types of foods that you will eat during the tournament. This will gradually acclimatize your body to the new diet and cause your body to react better to these foods during the tournament. In many cases players will not have significantly different diets during a tournament then they would normally eat. On the day or two before the tournament you will want to start to carbo load. This means that you will want to eat more foods with a high carbohydrate content so that your body will store it for use during the tournament. Examples of foods high in Carbohydrates include the following:
You will also want to start hydrating as you are likely to lose a lot of liquid during the tournament. During the Tournament One the day of the Tournament it is recommended that you get up early and have a high carb breakfast. Sometimes you may have a very early game, 6:30 am or earlier, and this may not be possible. It is recommended in this case to eat a high Carb dinner and have a light breakfast – maybe a couple of toast with a banana and some juice. You might find that for a quick energy burst on the
bench that a Mars or Snickers type of snack may give you that extra
bit of energy for the game. After each game during the tournament you will want to start refueling as soon as possible so that you are in peak condition for the next game. It has been found that the 20 minutes after playing sport is the best time to replenish your Carbo supplies. Eating fruits or bagels and drinking Sports Drinks in the change room after a game will help you recover better. You will also want to eat a high carb meal within 1 to 2 hours of playing. Ideally you will want to eat your carb meal within 1 hour however this is not always possible. Often your coach will want to debrief the team and may want you to stay to watch the next game. In this case you will simply need to eat as soon as you finish your other activities. Remember that if you are feeling thirsty you are already dehydrated. You will need to rehydrate during the entire day – whether you have another game that day or not. When you are finished for the day you will want to have another carb meal to prepare for the games on the following day. After the Tournament Once the tournament is over you will probably be feeling pretty tired. Playing 6 games in 3 days takes an enormous amount of energy. You will have greatly assisted your performance and stamina by eating correctly however you will still be tired and in need of rest and replenishment. You will need to ensure that you keep eating properly
to enable your body to replenish the nutrients it requires to function.
You will also need to ensure that you keep rehydrating so that you,
once again, reach a good level of hydration. Nutrition Sources If you want to find out more about Sports Nutrition you can consult the following sources: Australian Institute of Sport - www.ais.org.au/nutrition/ Australian Sports Commission - www.ausport.gov.au/info/nutrition.htm "Complete Conditioning for Ice Hockey" by Peter Twist
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